It wasn't enough to get either the win in the mile race - that went to France's Jamale Aarrass (3:52.21) - but the Mt. Sac meet wasn't about winning, anyway. Milne, of Guelph, and Brannen, of Cambridge, were using the race to get into qualifying shape in the coming months.

Milne just wrapped up a month of high-altitude training in Flagstaff, AZ, while Brannen spends his winters in nearby Scottsdale, AZ.

The pair need to run under 3:35:50 in the 1,500-metre race, which is their specialty. They'll have plenty of chances to do that between now and the end of their qualifying period on June 18.

Milne's Speed River Track & Field Club teammate Hilary Stellingwerff, meanwhile, won the Mt. Sac women’s mile race in 4:31.04. The 1,500-metre racer needs to run the shorter race in under 4:05:07, or 4:06 once and 4:08.90 once to qualify for the Olympics.

Countdown to the 2012 London Olympics

Follow this blog to keep on top of Waterloo Region and Guelph's elite athletes competing for the chance to represent Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Reporter Greg Mercer will bring you in-depth profiles on this special group, plus updates on their training and qualifying events.
If you have suggestions for local Olympic stories, contact Greg at gmercer@therecord.com